


For when you can smile without fear

by BitterRenegade



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Best Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gentleness, Mutual Pining, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 13:04:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18315818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BitterRenegade/pseuds/BitterRenegade
Summary: Small touches over time, the smiles that come, and the fear that passes.For fjorester week, day 2, Touch!





	For when you can smile without fear

Jester is soft.

It’s an innocent thought that strikes Fjord the first time she takes his hand, pulling him along with a bright smile that he’s certain could blind him. Her hands are soft and smooth, the hands of someone who didn’t live the kind of life that he did. The hands of someone different, someone from a completely different world. But she smiles at him kindly, as if she can’t tell that he’s just a street rat turned sailor. The way that Jester smiles at him makes him feel like he’s more, and he can’t help but smile back.

It’s not a grin, he shows no teeth. What if she sees _what if she sees_ **_what if she sees_** —

 _“Fjord!”_ she laughs, it’s not mocking. It’s sweet, like her. Then she slows her steps and stops him, tilting her head to the side as she takes a good look at him. _“Fjord, are you alright?”_

The world spins, and it spins, and it spins.

It’s cold.

The two of them are in a cage together and Yasha’s not moving. Jester hums to herself and combs her fingers through Fjord’s hair and it’s soft and she’s trying hard to keep herself from shaking. Fjord’s eyes are closed, and he almost looks at peace like this, his head in her lap. It would be romantic if they weren’t in a cage, if they weren’t trapped. But they are, so she’ll make do. It’s hard to look at the positives of the situation when they’ve been kidnapped, which really sucks, but she can appreciate the time with Fjord. Not the situation of course, which was less than ideal, but the _time_. She could appreciate that they were together. That Fjord was still very handsome, and that she wasn’t alone.

And she knew that their friends would be coming even if she couldn’t hear the Traveler.

Fjord reaches up for his mouth in his sleep and Jester quickly takes his hand and holds it in her own, still combing through his hair with the other. If he picked at his tusks in his sleep then they would never grow in. And Jester really, really wanted to see Fjord’s tusks grow out. He was handsome with or without them, but she hopes that he doesn’t feel the need to file them down around her. They’re friends, after all.

Jester closes her eyes, still humming, and then it’s silent.

_“Sleep well with your bad decisions.”_

It’s hard to look at Jester without feeling guilty.

It’s hard to look at Fjord without feeling confused.

Time passes, a _lot_ happens. Then they finally take each other’s hands with an understanding that wasn't there before. And even if they aren't looking at each other they can tell that they're both smiling.

And it’s warm.


End file.
